The mayor of Bristol has denied he is “swanning off over the horizon” looking for work after he leaves office.
Pressed on whether he was “following opportunities” to advance his career, Marvin Rees said he was committed to serving Bristol but also admitted he needs to earn money after his second term ends in May 2024.
Speaking during a Bristol City Council meeting on July 5, he said the “brutal reality” meant he should “take account of my own interests”. The mayor will not stand for re-election after his term and Bristol City Council will move from a mayoral model to a committee-based one.
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Mr Rees has previously faced questions for his work outside of the mayor’s office, including as a non-executive director of a TV production company, chairing the Local Government Association's city regions board, and chairing the Core Cities UK lobbying group.
During the council meeting, Anthony Negus, an alderman and former councillor, asked the mayor: “Can we anticipate and expect that you will be giving your full commitment to the council for the next two years, rather than following opportunities for career advancement?”
Mr Rees replied: “My commitment has been to Bristol. One of the opportunities the mayoral model has offered is that any political standing is not dependent on satisfying the whims, theatre and debate of this room here, but has actually been dependent on servicing the citizens of Bristol. It’s not about servicing Bristol City Council, it’s about servicing Bristol.
“I’ve been in the city a long time, whether working in the voluntary sector, the National Health Service, I also tried my time at the BBC for a little while, so I have a record of serving Bristol. But there is another reality as well.
“A number of us would point out, who don’t come from backgrounds where we’re supported by the Bank of Mum and Dad, that I do have three children and a wife who need me to earn some money. That’s the brutal reality. I should also take account of my own interests, because it’s not about me swanning off over the horizon, it’s about me being a responsible husband, father, son and brother.”
